TWA Flight 840 bombing

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For the earlier hijacking of TWA Flight 840, see TWA Flight 840 hijacking.
TWA Flight 840
A Boeing 727-231 of TWA, similar to the aircraft involved in the incident
Bombing
DateApril 2, 1986
SummaryBombing
SiteArgos, Greece
Aircraft typeBoeing 727-231
OperatorTrans World Airlines
RegistrationN54340[1]
Flight originLos Angeles International Airport
1st stopoverJohn F. Kennedy International Airport
2nd stopoverLeonardo da Vinci Int'l Airport
3rd stopoverAthens (Ellinikon) Int'l Airport
DestinationCairo International Airport
Passengers115[2]
Crew7[2]
Fatalities4
Injuries7[3]
Survivors118[2]

Trans World Airlines Flight 840 was a regularly scheduled flight from Los Angeles to Cairo via New York City, Rome, and Athens. The flight originated in Los Angeles on a Boeing 747 and transferred to a Boeing 727 in Rome for the remainder of the flight. About 20 minutes before landing in Athens, a bomb hidden underneath seat 10F was detonated on the aircraft while it was over Argos, Greece, blasting a hole in the plane's starboard side. Four American passengers, including an eight-month-old infant, were ejected through the hole to their deaths below. Seven others on the aircraft were injured by shrapnel as the cabin suffered a rapid decompression. The remaining 110 passengers survived the incident as pilot Richard "Pete" Petersen made an emergency landing.[4]

The bodies of three of the four victims were later recovered from a meadow near Argos; the fourth was found in the sea.

A group calling itself the "Arab Revolutionary Cells" claimed responsibility, saying it was committed because of "American imperialism" and clashes with Libya in the Gulf of Sidra the week before.[5] Investigators concluded that the bomb contained one pound of plastic explosive. It is suspected it had been placed under the seat cushion on a previous journey by a Lebanese woman (later arrested, never convicted) who worked for the Abu Nidal Organisation, which was opposed to the peace process.[6]

Victims

  • Demetra Klug, 8 months, Bethesda, Maryland
  • Alberto Ospina, 37, Stratford, Connecticut
  • Maria Styllan Klug, 25, Bethesda, Maryland
  • Demetra Stylianopoulos, 52, Bethesda, Maryland

References

  1. ^ "FAA Registry (N54340)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  2. ^ a b c William E. Smith; John Borrell; Mirka Gondicas (1986-04-14). "Terrorism Explosion on Flight 840". Time. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  3. ^ BBC (1986-04-02). "On This Day - 1986: Bomb tears hole in airliner over Greece". BBC News. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  4. ^ TWA Pilot's Wife Says Her Husband is a Hero With PM-Plane-Bomb Bjt
  5. ^ Bomb Blast On Airliner Kills 4 Jet Lands Safely In Greece
  6. ^ "Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) attacked Airports & Airlines target (Apr. 2, 1986, Italy)". MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. April 3, 2001. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

See also

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